0028.10.2015Meiklejohn, John Miller DowMaleAn Easy English Grammar For Beginners; Being a Plain Doctrine of Words and
Sentences. Book the First. Of Words and Their Changes.An Easy English Grammar for BeginnersHere a little, and there a little.Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., Stationers' Hall CourtLondon186218621EnglishBritish EnglishTeaching GrammarTextbookSchoolBeginnerBeginners ALEXANDER IRELAND & CO., Pall Mall Court, Manchester, propose to
issue, at intervals, a SERIES OF SCHOOL BOOKS, Under the above
title. There is one standing objection against most existing school books, and
that is their high price, - a consequence of their large size. A boy has put
into his hand a school book which costs from two to ten shillings, and which he
cannot work through within three or four years. Long before the end of this time
the boy has become disgusted with the book - and, perhaps, with the subject
also. He abhors the very sight of its well-thumbed pages. He has a strong
feeling, too, that he has not been making progress in all these years. If the
very same book had been given him in portions, each of which might have been
fully conquered and made part of his mental stock in half a year, the pupil
would have had a strong feeling of progress and mental power, and would have
hailed his arrival at a new part of the subject with keen pleasure. It is on this principle that the present series is to be constructed.
Each book will contain only such a quantity of matter as it is believed a boy of
average abilities may, with average application, fully master in the course of
half a year. Each book will be carefully graduated into its successor; and the
highest possible degree of clearness and completeness of statement will be aimed
at. If, then, a boy has thoroughly got up one book, he will naturally be
promoted to the next book on that subject in the series; and this change will
form at once a mark of past progress and an incitement to new exertion. If he
has not, he must continue to work in that book until he is able to approach the
following one. Thus a boy who has passed through his half-yearly course with
moderate success will be presented, at the opening of a new half, with a fresh
set of books; his ambition will be gratified, his merit openly acknowledged, and
his curiosity incited and engaged to open the new course with eagerness and
diligence. The books of this series will be written by men who not only thoroughly
understand their subject, but can place it in the fullest and clearest light;
can view it from every possible stand-point that may be
made available for the young intellect; can surround the subject with aptest
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impart freshness to old subjects, and win from the new all possible stores of
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work. The books will, so far as is practicable, be divided into lessons; and
in general, every possible arrangement will be made to save time and trouble on
the part of the teacher, and misunderstanding on the part of the pupil. Each set
of five lessons will be followed by a revise lesson, in which the salient points
of the preceding lessons will be repeated in different language; and, as a
general principle, constant reference will be made to what has preceded, while
the maxim of varied repetition - repetition without monotony - will never be
lost sight of. Each book will contain the largest possible collection of exercises - of
the most varied character, always carefully graduated, and, in general,
constructive as well as analytic. The pupil will be first led to a general
statement or rule, by a few easy exercises: he will then have more difficult
exercises founded upon that general statement or rule, and then exercises on the
exceptions to the rule. Perfect intelligence of a theory will thus be secured by
extraordinary fulness of practice - the method of nature in all intellectual
procedure. The Editor and Writers of this Series are profoundly convinced that the
first feeling that should be instilled into a boy is the feeling of power; and
that, with this view, every subject ought to bo approached by the easiest steps
and the most gradual synthesis. The natural difficulties in the way of teachers
and learners are so great that they may well dispense with artificial obstacles
raised by the compilers of school books. The common feeling of school boys
towards their work is that of disappointment and discouragement; it ought to be
one of mastery and zest. The distinctive features of these School Books will,
therefore, be SHORTNESS, CLEARNESS, GRADUATION, PRACTICALITY, and
CHEAPNESS. Each Work of the Series will appear in two forms—one in a stout binding,
PRICE SIXPENCE; the other in extra binding, ONE SHILLING. ALEXANDER IRELAND
& CO., PALL MALL COURT, MANCHESTER; AND DORSET STREET, SALISBURY SQUARE,
LONDON.An Easy English Grammar for Beginners; being a
Plain Doctrine of Words and Sentences.Book the First. Of Words and Their
ChangesBy J. M. D. Meiklejohn, M.A.Here a little, and theire a little.London: A. Ireland and Co. Dorset Street, Salisbury Square.
Manchester: Pall Mall Court. 1862.Ut puerorum aetas improvida ludificetur
Labrorum tenus. LUCRETIUS I., 938.- ut pueris olim dant crustula bland
Doctores. elementa velint ut discere prima. Horace Sat. I., 1,26 The writer of this book has put just as much into it - and no more - as
can be learned by a child of average capacity, in five months. The book must be
judged of as adapted or not adapted to this purpose - as equal or unequal to
attaining this end. No more ought to be taught in that time. The child will have
quite enough of head-labour to work through the exercises within that time; and
a sufficient number of new ideas to assimilate and make part of its mental
being. It is advised that the children in whose hands it is placed begin with
the exercises before reading any of the text, except that small part which
relates to each exercise, and that the text be used not so much to impart new
ideas, as to give a clear and adequate expression to the notions the child must
have obtained - if the exercises have been worked in good faith and with any
thought at all. The guiding idea of the formation of these has been to give always two
corresponding sets of exercises - an analytic and a synthetic. Whatever the
child has to put together, he has to take to pieces again; and whatever he has
taken to pieces, he once more recomposes. This plan is not followed in a dull,
mechanical way; but this is the chief idea of the general scheme. No exceptional phrases, forms, or idioms have been
admitted into the exercises, - so far as it was possible to keep them out
without making them utterly dull. But the teacher is earnestly requested not to
give the child any explanation in the meantime of what is idiomatic and
exceptional, but to say at once: "I shall not answer that at present," and to
keep strictly to the inculcation of what is in the book, and nothing
more. It is recommended that the child be now and then allowed the assistance
of his reading-book in making the sentences required in the
Exercises. Many and strong objections may be made against the theory of this first
part. I do not assert that the system of definitions given here will enable
one to parse and explain every word or idiom in the language. Such an assumption
would be monstrous. In a homogeneous language, like the German, a claim of this
kind might be made, and might be satisfied. But in a language that has been
subjected to so many and so varying influences, it is almost impossible for even
the subtlest thinker, or the most learned philologist, to construct a theory
which will embrace and account for all the idiomatic expressions of the English
language. Nay, it may be boldly asserted, that there is a point in the English
language where all theory must break down, and where we can only say: Such and
such is the usage, but we cannot explain it, or point out how it has grown up.
The usual procedure of grammatical people, when they meet with an idiom which
their system does not explain, is to call it "bad grammar.” They have not the
courage to say the truth - to say: "We do not understand this phrase.” But this
confession must now and then b6 made - even by the most learned philologist. It
will be a good discipline, too, both for the teacher and the scholar - for the
teacher to confess, and for the scholar to know - that this or that phrase has
as yet baffled the ingenuity both of his teacher and of writers on grammar. The
English language contains more difficult and inexplicable forms and phrases than
either Greek or Latin - than Greek, as it is much less homogeneous; than Latin,
as it is a thousand-fold more subtle and more individual. A Latin translation of
Shakspere would be full of gaps and all kinds of inadequacies. It is probable that numerous objections will be raised to the accuracy
of the definitions. This is not the place to defend them. One test of their
truth, however, may here be offered. If these definitions account for the
functions of a larger number of words than any previous definitions, they must
be truer, as they are profounder and more practical. The writer is well aware of
the exceptions that can be taken to them; but, in the following books of this
grammar, it will be clearly shown how these rudimentary types are compelled to
assume different forms to suit themselves to different conditions. Language is a
living existence, and not a manufactured product. The thorough study of it is
more difficult than the study of vegetable anatomy; and just as much of it, and
no more, should be taught to children as is requisite for their obtaining clear
ideas of words and sentences. This book differs from the books of preceding
grammarians in this: That most grammarians give definitions which have no
differentia, that is, which are loose and inadequate,
and yet compel you to bring every word in the language under one, and
only one, of these definitions; while this book indicates
shortly the function of a word, and shows that its name and
condition, for the time being, are given by one of these categories or
definitions. The old question was: “What is this or that word?”
And the dispute often cost much aimless thinking and writing. The new question
is, “What is it this or that word does? What is its function?”
The usual procedure is to give inadequate, inconsistent, and confused
definitions, and to insist that all idioms and forms of language shall be
conformed to these. The case is just reversed in the present grammar. The
definitions are thoroughly self-consistent and clear; but—as will be seen in the
following parts—the language will not be forced to fall in to those forms. On
the contrary, it will be clearly shown in what instances and for what reasons
this is impossible. At the same time, these definitions and primary grammatical
notions will show how far the language has fallen away from a strict logical
standard. The strongest objection may perhaps be raised against the definition of
a preposition. I beg the teacher to suspend his judgment in the mean time; and I
am prepared to prove to him—and it will clearly appear in the subsequent
parts—that this definition is the result of the most thorough and complete
analysis. The cases in which verbs and adjectives exert an influence on
prepositions will of course demand, in a future part, a certain modification of
the original and strict demand which is made upon us always to
show the nouns which a preposition connects; but as the definition
gives the fundamental notion of a preposition, and as the last analysis would
always show this fundamental connection, it is well to make the pupil begin with
finding it in easy cases. The teacher might also call the preposition a
relation-giving word.—As regards the introduction of the
five cases, it is sufficient to say—that the language cannot be parsed without
them. One word more: The grammatical views of the writer must not be judged by
this little book; his notions on grammar are here given in their barest and most
rudimentary condition. But it is true here as in so many other fields of
thought—that the profoundest conceptions are also the simplest. And, in
teaching, the first thing is to give the child a set of clear, strict, and
self-consistent notions, to keep him to these for a very long while, —and, when
these have become part of himself and his thinking powers, to let him know about
exceptions and aberrations. The statements in this book are not exhaustive—and are not intended to
be exhaustive—about any one part of any one subject. Each of the chapters here
given will be afterwards fully developed; and the consideration of idioms and
anomalies will then enter. The second part of this grammar will treat chiefly
about sentences and their organisation. J. M. D M.
Bowden, Cheshire, Christmas 1861.PART I. - OF WORDS.My heart leaps up when I beholdA rainbow in the sky. It is plain that this sentence is made up of words. Words, like workmen,
are not all of the same kind; because they have not all the same kind of work to
do. Some workmen are carpenters, some masons, some blacksmiths. Each word, for
example, in the above sentence is of a different kind from the others.
My is a Pronoun; heart is
a Noun; leaps is a Verb, and
so on. These are some of the names that have been given by people to the
different kinds of words. There are in our language seven kinds of words.
The first kind we shall talk about is the kind called
Nouns.Chapter I. Nouns. A Noun is a Name; and A Name is a Noun. The word John is a noun, because it is a name; the
word London is a noun, because it is a name; the word
orange is a noun, because it is a name; the word
fun is a noun, because it is a name; and the word
goodness is a noun, because it is a name.Chapter II. Verbs.We come next to Verbs. A Verb is a Telling Word. A Telling Word is a
Verb. Let us take the sentence: The stream that flows out of the lake,As trough the glen it rambles,Repeats a moan, o'er moss and stone,For those seven lovely Campbells. In this sentence, flows, rambles,
and repeats, are verbs; because they
tell that the river flows and
rambles and repeats. Again, let us take
the sentence, Jack saw Tom when he ran
down the road. Here saw and ran, are
verbs, because sawtells something about Jack, and
rantells something about Tom. A word that tells, therefore,
is a Verb; and A Verb is a word that tells, or a Telling Word.
Chapter III. Adjectives.We come to Adjectives. An Adjective is a Noun-Marking Word. A Noun-Marking
word is an Adjective. Thus: "The black man sold the spotted dog to the old
gentleman." In this sentence the words black,
spotted, old, and
the, mark the nouns man,
dog, and gentleman.
Black marks the noun man, and helps me
to know that man among other men; spotted marks the noun
dog, and helps me to distinguish the dog we are talking
of from other dogs; and old marks the noun
gentleman, and helps me to mark out that gentleman from
gentlemen who are young or middle-aged. The word the marks
out the particular black man we are talking about from
among all other black men; and so of the rest. The word
the is like a ☞ on a fingerpost; it points out the thing that we happen to be speaking or
writing about, but it has not any meaning of its own. Thus we see that the words the,
black, spotted, and
old mark the nouns man,
dog, and gentleman. They are therefore noun-marking words. But a noun-marking word is
called an Adjective. We now know, therefore, that — An Adjective is a marking word; and that An Adjective always marks Nouns. We may, therefore, say that — An Adjective is a Noun-marking Word; or that A Noun-marking Word is an Adjective.Chapter IV. Adverbs.Next come Adverbs.An Adverb is also a marking word. But it does not
mark nouns. It marks only verbs, or adjectives, or other adverbs, like
itself. We may therefore call an adverb a verb-marking
word, or an adjective-marking word, or an
adverb-marking word. For example: "The
extremely black man yesterday sold
the spotted dog to the very
old gentleman." In this sentence, extremely marks
black, and shows how black the man was — that is, that
he was extremely black; yesterdaymarks
sold, and shows when he sold the dog;
and very marks old, and shows
how old the gentleman was — that is, that he was
very old. In this sentence, therefore,
extremely is an adjective-marking
word, and yesterday is a verb-marking
word. When I say: “Tom runs very fast,” I use two adverbs,
very and fast. Fast
marks the verb runs, and shows how Tom
runs; and very marks the adverb fast, and
shows how fast the running is. Fast is
therefore an adverb or verb-marking word; and
very is an adverb or adverb-marking
word. But, for the sake of convenience, it may be easier and become
afterwards more simple, to say that — An Adverb is a Modifying Word, or A Modifying Word is an Adverb. The word modifying is, however, just at first a
hard word to understand. Let us try to understand it by the example of a cup
of coffee. Before I put either cream or sugar into the coffee, it has a
rather bitter taste. When I put some sugar into it, it becomes less bitter.
That is, the sugar has modified, or altered, or changed, the taste of the
coffee. If I add some milk or cream, the taste is still more modified or
changed or altered. Now let us take the sentence:
"He runs." When I say He runs, I don’t tell you whether he
runs fast or slow, neatly
or awkwardly, here or
there. But when I say He runs fast,
the word fast modifies the word runs, and
lets us know what kind of running he is making; and when I say He
runs very fast, the word very modifies the
word fast, and lets us know that the fastness of the
running is very great. So that fast modifies
runs; and very modifies
fast. Modifying words must then, we see, modify something. Modifying Words or Adverbs always modify either Verbs, or
Adjectives, or other Adverbs. Here are examples of each: — (a) Tom reads
well. (b) The potatoes are quite cold. (c)
Jack walks very clumsily. In (a) the adverb well modifies the verb
reads; in (b) the adverb
quite modifies the adjective cold; and
in (c) the adverb very modifies the adverb
clumsily, which itself modifies the verb
walks. We have found, therefore, that an Adverb is
either a — (1) Verb-Modifying Word, or
(2) An Adjective-Modifying Word, or
(3) An Adverb-Modifying Word.
Chapter V. Prepositions.We now arrive at Prepositions.A Preposition is a joining word. If it is a joining word, it must
join something. What, then, does it join? It joins Nouns. A Preposition is, then, a Noun-joining Word; and A
Noun-joining Word is a Preposition. Let us take a sentence or two: (1) "The man with the long nose is
dead." Here with joins man and
nose. (2) "I saw the gamekeeper with
his gun in his hand." Here with joins
gamekeeper and gun, while
in joins gun and
hand. Sometimes a verb comes between the preposition and one of the nouns
it connects. Thus: "Oliver is in the garden." Here in joins
Oliver and garden, although the verb
is comes between them. Take another sentence: "The
mists sweep over the fields." Here over connects
mists and fields, although the verb
sweep comes between. Sometimes, too, an adjective comes
between the preposition and one of the nouns it connects; but the connection
between the nouns is not on that account destroyed. Take the sentence: "John
is uneasy about his brother." Here about connects
John and brother; although it seems to
connect uneasy and brother. This is a very
difficult case to understand; but it will be fully explained in a future
part. We may also say that — A Preposition is a Noun-connecting Word, or A Noun-connecting Word is a Preposition.
Chapter VI. Conjunctions.But there is another kind of joining word, called a
Conjunction. A Conjunction is a Sentence-joining Word, or A
Sentence-joining Word is a Conjunction. But I have a right to ask what a sentence is. Well, then, a
sentence is a statement in which the sense is complete. If I
say, "Tom," there is no sense in that as yet — that is, I
have made no statement; but if I say, "Tom runs," the sense
is complete, and I have made a statement in which there is complete sense.
This definition will do for the present. Let us take the sentence: "James looked sad, and
was very unhappy." Here the word and joins the sentence —
"James looked sad," to the sentence "James was very
unhappy." Or take the sentence: "The keeper will seize you, if you take that
nest." Here the word if joins or connects the sentences —
"The keeper will seize you," and "You take
that nest." Therefore, we have found that — A Conjunction is a Sentence-connecting Word, or
A Sentence-connecting Word is a
Conjunction.The only word to which this definition will not
apply is and. The reason for this will be
afterwards given.Chapter VII. Pronouns. We could manage to keep up any conversation, however long, or to
write a book, however big, with the aid of these six kinds of words, or — as
many people call them — parts of language, or parts of speech; that is, with
the help only of Nouns, Verbs, Adverbs, Adjectives, Prepositions, and
Conjunctions. But there is another kind of word we employ, not because we
must do so, but for the sake of convenience. This kind of word is called a
Pronoun. A Pronoun is a word used instead of a Noun; or A Word
used instead of a Noun is a Pronoun; or A Pronoun is a
For-name; or A For-name is a Pronoun. For example, if I say: "Ned went to market; and, as Ned was
returning home, Ned fell into a ditch. Ned would have been there who knows
how long, if a man had not come up to Ned and pulled Ned out. Ned was a
pretty sight; Ned was caked with mud from Ned’s cap to Ned’s boots." So many
Neds are clumsy and troublesome; we therefore use the
word he instead of the word Ned. But the
word Ned is a noun; and a word used instead of a noun is a
pronoun. But he is used instead of the
noun Ned; therefore he is a
pronoun. We know, therefore, that — A Pronoun is a For-name; or A For-name is a Pronoun.Chapter VIII. Interjections. An Interjection is not properly a word. It may be a mere sound.
Dogs, pigs, and other animals, use interjections. When any one treads on our
toes, we say "O!" If the pain continues a long time, we may come to say "Oh!
Oh!" If we are pitying anybody, we may be brought to say "Ah!" If we think
very little of what a person is saying, we may feel ourselves called upon to say "Pooh! pooh!" or, if he persists in talking
nonsense, we might venture so far as to utter "Pshaw!" But these are not
words, any more than the bark of a dog, or the grunt of
a pig. We sometimes, however, say "Dear me!" or you may hear silly people
say "Did you ever!" or "Lawk a-daisy!" These are words, to be sure, but they
are words with no sense in them; they are words used merely as
sounds. We find, therefore, that — An Interjection is a Sound, or a Word used only as a
Sound.Chapter IX. The Seven Kinds of Words. We now know that — A Noun is a Name.A Verb is a Telling
Word.An Adjective is a Noun-Marking
Word.An Adverb is a Modifying
Word.A Preposition is a Noun-Connecting
Word.A Conjunction is a Sentence-Connecting
Word.A Pronoun is a
For-Name. Or we may put these facts another way, which comes to the same
thing. In Grammar — A Name is called A
Noun.A Telling Word is called A
Verb.A Noun-marking Word is called An
Adjective.A Modifying Word is called An
Adverb.A Noun-connecting Word is called A
Preposition.A Sentence-connecting Word is called A
Conjunction.A For-name is called A
Pronoun. We see, too, that all words fall into groups or sets. Adjectives and Prepositions are always in company with Nouns;
AdverbsIt must not be forgotten that adverbs may also go
with adjectives and other adverbs. Why this is so will be afterwards
explained. and Conjunctions are always in
company with Verbs.
Chapter X. How Words are Used. A man may have two or three different trades, which he carries on at
the same time. He may be a shoemaker, and have a grocer’s shop, and at the
same time be a pew-opener on Sundays. When he is
making shoes, he is a shoemaker; when he is selling sugar, he is a grocer;
and when he is taking charge of the church or chapel, he is a
pew-opener. In the same way, a word may be of two or three or four kinds. That
is, it may belong to two or three or four different classes. That is to say,
a word is not always a verb, or always a noun, or
always an adjective. For example, the word round may be — A Noun, orAn Adjective, orA Verb, orA Preposition.In the sentence, "What a big round of beef," it is a
Noun.In the sentence, "He showed me a round cheese," it is an
Adjective.In the sentence, "Tom Jones rounded the point in his boat," it is a
Verb.In the sentence, "Captain Cook sailed round the world," it is a
Preposition. To find out what a word is, we must therefore not
look at the word itself, but consider what the word is
doing, or what use is made of
the word. Thus in (1), round is used as a
name; in (2) it is used as a marking-word — to mark out the
cheese shown to me from other cheeses; in (3) it is used as
a telling-word — to tell something about Tom Jones; and in (4) it is used as a preposition or
noun-connecting word, to connect the nouns Cook and
world. Now all thinking is simply asking oneself
questions. When I ask myself questions I am thinking; when I leave off
asking myself questions I leave off thinking. If, therefore, I want to find out what kind of word this or that
word is, I have only to ask myself the following questions, till I get hold
of the right answer: — Is this word used as a
name? If it is, then it is
a Name or Noun.Is this word used as a
telling-word? If it is,
then it is a Telling-word or Verb.Is this word used as a
noun-marking word? If it
is, then it is a Noun-marking word or Adjective.Is this word used as a
modifying-word? If it is,
then it is a Modifying-word or Adverb.Is this word used as a
noun-connecting word? If
it is, then it is a Noun-connecting word or Preposition.Is this word used as a
sentence-connecting word?
If it is, then it is a Sentence-connecting word or
Conjunction.Is this word used instead of a
noun? If it is, then it is
a For-noun or Pronoun.Chapter XII. How Words Go with Each Other.There is no chapter XI in part 1From what we have already found out, it is quite plain that — 1. A Noun or Pronoun will not make
sense without a Verb.Thus "John"—is not sense. Thus "He" —is not
sense.But "John walks" or "He walks" is sense.2. A Verb will not make sense without a
Noun or Pronoun.Thus — "Runs" is not sense. But "Tom runs" or "He runs" is
sense.3. An Adjective cannot stand by itself, but must
always be joined to a Noun, expressed or
understood.It is true we have such sentences as: "The good are generally loved"
and "The bad ought to be punished." But the full phrase
would be "The good men and women," "The bad men and women." So that we see
that the adjectives "good" and "bad" mark the nouns "men" and "women,"
although these words are not expressed, but only understood.4. An Adverb cannot stand by itself, but must always
be joined to a Verb, or an Adjective, or
an Adverb.Thus we cannot say "He is very;" but "He is very good." It is
nonsense to say "He beautifully;" but it is sense to say "He plays
beautifully." It is absurd to say "He writes extremely;" but it is sense to
say "He writes extremely well."A Preposition cannot stand by itself, but must
always be found between a Noun and a Noun,
or a Noun and a Pronoun, or a
Pronoun and a Noun, or a
Pronoun and a Pronoun.Thus we cannot say: "John was with;" but we must say "John was with
his brother," or some such noun. In this sentence with
joins the two nouns John and brother. We
can also say: — John was with him.He was with James.He was with them.In (1) the preposition with joins a noun and a
pronoun; in (2) it joins a pronoun and a noun; in (3) it joins a pronoun and
a pronoun.6. A Conjunction cannot stand by itself but must
always be found between a Verb expressed and a Verb
understood, or between a Verb understood and a
Verb expressed, or between a Verb
expressed and another Verb
expressed.Thus we cannot say: "He will come, if;" but we must say something
like this: "He will come, if I tell him." Here the conjunction
if joins the sentence "He will come" to the sentence "I
tell him." Take the sentences: John went home, but not James.John and James went home.John went home, but James refused.In (1) the conjunction but joins the sentence "John
went" to the sentence "James went not." The verb went is
understood in the latter sentence. In (2) the
conjunction and joins the sentence "John went" to the
sentence "James went." The verb went is
understood in the first sentence. In (3) the
conjunction but joins the sentence "John went" to the
sentence "James refused." In both these sentences the verbs are
expressed. ☞ The reason why a conjunction is found only between verbs is the
following: — A verb is the chief word in a sentence,
because a verb is a telling-word. If there were no telling-word in a
sentence, there would be nothing told — there would be no statement, and
therefore no sentence. As a verb, then, is the chief word in a sentence, the
conjunction may be said to join verbs, as well as sentences; or, we may say
that — A Conjunction is a Verb-connecting Word; or A Verb-connecting Word is a Conjunction.
PART II. - OF THE CHANGES IN WORDS. Words are not always the same; they undergo changes in their spelling.
Thus horse becomes horses, when I want to talk
about more than one horse; man becomes men, when I want to
speak about more than one man. When a word is changed, it is said to be
inflected; and the change itself is called an
inflection. It is the endings of words
that are usually changed. When a boy puts on a new pair of boots or a new cap,
he may be said to be inflected or changed as to his endings or extremities, like
boy, boys; when he enters on a new jacket, he is inflected
centrally, that is, in the middle, like goose, geese. The kinds
of words that can be changed or inflected are — 1. The Noun. 2. The Pronoun. 3.
The Adjective. 4. The Verb. 5. The Adverb. The Preposition and the Conjunction
are never changed or inflected.Chapter I. Changes or Inflections in Nouns.Number.If I am speaking about one boy, I say boy; if I am speaking about
two, I say boys.Boy is then said to be in the Singular
Number. Boys is said to be in the
Plural Number.In most nouns, the plural is made by adding
s to the singular. As book, books.In nouns which end in s,
sh, ch, x, or
o, we add es to the singular.
As box, boxes.In nouns which end in y,
with a consonant before it, we change
y into ies. As lady, ladies.
☞ If a vowel comes before the y, we
don't change the y, but only add
s. As toy, toys.Nouns that end in f or
fe generally take ves in the
plural. As calf, calves; knife, knives.Many nouns make the plural by changing the vowel
that is in the singular. As man, men. Here a is
changed into e.A very few nouns make the plural by adding
en to the singular. As ox, oxen.Some words have their plural like their singular.
As one sheep, ten sheep.Case.When a person is very ill, we may say, "He is in a sad case" or "a
sad condition;" when he has done something far from right, we may say, "He
is in a bad case" or "a bad condition." Therefore the word case means condition. Nouns can be in
cases or conditions; just like people. Nouns can be in five cases or conditions: — The Nominative or Named Case.The Dative
or Given-to, or Done-for
Case.TheorThe Objective
or Done-to Case.TheVocative
or Spoken-to Case Or, The Named case of a noun is called the
Nominative case.ThePossessing caseof a noun is called Possessive
case.TheGiven-to or Done-for caseof a noun is called Dative
case.TheDone-to caseof a noun is calledObjective case.TheSpoken-to case of a noun
is calledVocative case. In the sentence, "John is sick," John is in the
Nominative case. In the sentence, "John’s hat is lost,"
John's is in the Possessive case. In the
sentence, "He gave John a book," John is in the Dative or
Given-to case. In the sentence, "He made John a ship,"
John is in the Dative or Done-for case. In
the sentence, "He struck John," John is in the Objective
case. In the sentence, "John, come here," John
is in the Vocative case. Many hundred years ago, our forefathers made a change in the ending
of every noun or pronoun, according to whether it
stood in one or other of these cases. Now, the only change
that is made is for the possessive case. 1. The Possessive is written, in the Singular, by adding an
apostrophe and s. Boy, boy's. 2. The Possessive is written, in the Plural, by adding an apostrophe
Boys, boys'. But, when the plural does not end in
s, we must write both an apostrophe
and an s. As Men, men's. ☞ The Possessive case is now kept chiefly for nouns which are the
names of living beings, and is not used for the names of things. We do not
often now hear such expressions as the house's roof or
the box's lid. Therefore we must carefully notice that
— The names of things have seldom any inflection at all for
case.Gender.The names of male animals are said to be
masculine. As Horse, King, Uncle.The names of female animals are said to be
feminine. As Mare, Queen, Aunt.The names of things without life are said to be
neither or neuter. As Stable,
Throne, Shilling. When we call them
neither, we mean neither
masculine nor feminine.The names of living creatures that may be either
masculine or feminine are said to be common or
either; that is, either masculine or
feminine. As Cousin, Bird, Parent. There are therefore two genders: MasculineFeminine. Neither of the two is called Neuter or Neither. Either of the two is called Common or Either. When we want to change a masculine noun into the corresponding
feminine, we may do one of four things: We may add ess, as Shepherd,
Shepherdess. This addition sometimes also requires a
change in the spelling of the original noun: as
Actor, Actress;
Emperor,
Empress.We may add ine, as Hero,
Heroine.We may use a different word, as Father,
Mother.We may prefix the word she, as
Goat, She-goat.Chapter II. Changes in the Pronoun.The Pronoun, like the noun, is changed or inflected for Number, Case,
and Gender.Number.I has in the plural WeThou has in the plural You [or
Ye]He has in the plural
They.She has in the plural
They.It has in the plural
They.Case.I has My or Mine in the Possessive CaseThou has Thy or Thine in the Possessive Case.He has His in the Possessive Case.She has Her or Hers in the Possessive Case.It has Its in the Possessive Case.We has Our or Ours in the Possessive Case.You has Your or Yours in the Possessive Case.Thou has Their or Theirs
in the Possessive
Case.I has Me in the Dative CaseThou has Thee in the Dative Case.He has Him in the Dative Case.She has Her in the Dative Case.It has It in the Dative Case.We has Us in the Dative Case.You has You in the Dative Case.Thou has Them in the Dative Case.I has Me in the Objective CaseThou has Thee in the Objective Case.He has Him in the Objective Case.She has Her in the Objective Case.It has It in the Objective Case.We has Us in the Objective Case.You has You in the Objective Case.Thou has Them in the Objective Case.☞ The Dative and Objective Cases are exactly alike. Formerly, they
were different; but people began to use the dative
case as an objective, and they have kept the habit up to this
time. The pronoun I cannot have a Vocative or Called-to Case, because I
don't need to call to myself. Thou has Thou in Vocative Case.
You has You in the Vocative Case.He, She, It, and
They, cannot have a Vocative case, because they are
always used when we speak of people and things, and not
when we speak to them.Gender.I and Thou have not a Feminine or
Neuter Gender. He has She in the Feminine
and It in the Neuter.There is another pronoun, which is called the Relative Pronoun. When,
for example, we say, "I know the man who sells fowls," the word
who is said to stand for the noun man,
and is therefore a pronoun. But it also
relates to man, and therefore it is called a
relative or relating pronoun. It would be better to
call it a conjunctive or joining pronoun,
because it joins the sentence "I know the man" and the sentence "who sells
fowls."Gender of Relative or Conjunctive Pronouns. Who is masculine or feminine. It has another form —
which. The form which is either
masculine or feminine or neuter; but it is used only when we are speaking about irrational animals (all animals except men
and women) and things.That is also sometimes a relative pronoun, and can
be used at any time instead of who or
which.This pronoun is not changed or inflected for anything but case. Thus
—
CasePronounNominativeWhoPossessiveWhoseDative(WantingYou can say, "I gave
him the book," but you cannot say
"The boy, whom I gave the book, is
sick.")ObjectiveWhomVocative(Wanting)
Chapter III. Changes or Inflections in the
Adjective. Let us take four pieces of paper. I can say: This one is
white, that is whiter, the other is
the whitest, and the fourth is only
whitish. The word white is said to be in
the positive degree; because the paper is said to
be positively white.The word whiter is said to be in
the comparative degree; because the one piece of
paper has been compared with the other.The word whitest is said to be
in the superlative degree; because the paper is
whiter than all other paper compared with it, and
superlative means highest of
all.The word whitish is said to be
in the sub-positive degree; because it is
under the positive. Sub means
under. The word degree means step. There are therefore four degrees or
steps — one down, two up, and one on the ground-level. Thus —
The Comparative degree is formed by adding r or er. The Superlative
degree is formed by adding st or est. The Sub-positive degree is formed by
adding ish. Very few adjectives take the sub-positive degree. ☞ But, when a word has two, or more than
two, syllables The Comparative is generally formed by prefixing
the adverb more. The Superlative
is generally formed by prefixing the adverb most.
The Sub-positive is generally formed by prefixing the adverb
rather. As Splendid, more splendid, most
splendid. Some adjectives are compared in an irregular manner. Here are a few:
—
Chapter IV. Changes or Inflections in the VerbTime or Tense Let us take the verb walk. When we want to join
walk to the pronoun I in the
present time or tense, we say "I walk;" if in the
past time or tense, we say, "I walked." We see from this that verbs are changed or inflected for
time; and that to turn a verb into past time we have
only to add ed. Many verbs are, however, changed or inflected for time centrally —
that is, in the middle. As present, "I write,"
past, "I wrote." The following are a few of the verbs that are changed centrally for
time or tense: —
Many hundred years ago, all verbs were inflected centrally; but,
when the language came to be printed, the form of
inflecting for past time by adding ed, became more
usual.Person and Number. It is plain that the pronouns or fornames I,
thou, he, she,
it, we, you, and
they, stand for the names of persons.
In order to distinguish, in grammar, these pronouns from
each other, different names have been given to them.I and we are called pronouns of the
first or speaking person. Thou and you are called pronouns of the
second or spoken-to person. He, she, it, and
they are called pronouns of the third
or spoken-of person. We is properly not a pronoun of the first person; it is
properly a mixed person. It is not = I and
I; but it is =
I and You, or I and
He. You is = Thou and
Thou, or Thou and He.
They is = He and He,
or She and She, or It and
It — and so on. These different pronouns demand, then,
different forms of the verb to go with them. We cannot say I
walks, or They walkest. Again, we cannot say
They walks, because then we should have a pronoun in
the plural number going with a verb in the singular number — which would
never do. If the pronoun is Singular, the verb must be Singular. If the
pronoun is Plural, the verb must be Plural. If the pronoun is of the First
Person, the verb must be of the First Person — and so on. That is to say, a form of the verb that usually goes with a pronoun
of the second or third person, must not be put with a pronoun of first
person. This is all that is meant.When I join walk to I, I say,
I walk.When I join walk to Thou, I say,
Thou walkest.When I join walk to He, I say,
He walks.When I join walk to We, I say,
We walk.When I join walk to You, I say,
You walk.When I join walk to They, I say,
They walked.When I join walked to I, I say,
I walked.When I join walked to Thou, I
say, Thou walkedst.When I join walked to He, I say,
He walked.When I join walked to We, I say,
We walked.When I join walked to You, I
say, You walked.When I join walked to They, I
say, They walked. You can do the same with write and
wrote, or any other verb. There is, however, one verb, which is more changed or inflected than
any other; and that verb is the verb which is more used than any other — the
verb Be. We must therefore get it up thoroughly: Asserting Form
Present Time or Tense
Singular NumberPlural Number1. I am1. We are2. Thou art2. You are3. He is3. They are
Past Time or Tense
Singular NumberPlural Number1. I was1. We were2. Thou wast2. You were3. He was3. They were
Conjunctive Form.
Present Time or Tense
Singular NumberPlural Number(Though) 1. I be(Though) 1. We be(Though) 2. Thou be(Though) 2. You be(Though) 3. He be(Though) 3. They be
Past Time or Tense
Singular NumberPlural Number(Though) 1. I were(Though) 1. We were(Though) 2. Thou wert(Though) 2. You were(Though) 3. He were(Though) 3. They were
Commanding Form. Be! Adjectival or Participial Form.
PresentPastBeingBeen
Chapter V. Changes or Inflections in Adverbs. Adverbs, like adjectives, are changed or inflected for
degree. 1. We form the Comparative by adding er. We form
the Superlative by adding est. As, Fast, faster,
fastest. 2. In some adverbs of two, or more than two, syllables, we prefix
for the Comparative more, and we prefix for the Superlative
most. As, Gaily, more gaily, most gaily. ☞ The Sub-positive is not generally used in Adverbs.Exercise 1. — Write out twelve Names
of things in the school-room.Exercise 2. — Write out twelve
Names of things in the play-ground.Exercise 3. — Write out twelve
Names of things in the fields.Exercise 4. — Select and write
out the Nouns in the following sentences: — 1. The
pig grunts. 2. The wind blows. 3. John rode to town. 4. The seal basks in the
sun. 5. The fox crept along the wall. 6. The sailor laid down his oar. 7. The
steeple totters. 8. Loud cracks the whip. 9. The huntsman shot a hare. 10. The
door is open. 11. The springs bubble up. 12. Lucy stood at her door.Exercise 5. — Select and write
out, in columns, the Telling Words in the following sentences:
— 1. The fishes sport. 2. The sexton walked. 3. Sugar melts. 4.
Horsemen ride. 5. The church bell tolls. 6. The gamekeeper shoots. 7. The lark
sings. 8. Steam engines work. 9. The saw cuts. 10. An arrow kills. 11. Mushrooms
grow. 12. Carts rattle.Exercise 6. — Write out, in
separate columns, the Nouns and Verbs in the
following: — 1. England and Scotland form one island. 2. We make
gas from coal. 3. I met a little cottage girl. 4. How many sticks go to the
building of a crow’s nest? 5. Cromwell was the Protector of England. 6. A black
man has woolly hair. 7. China gives us silk. 8. Ferns as tall as palm trees once
grew in England. 9. Icebergs sometimes dash ships in pieces. 10. The English
work very hard. 11. Negroes eat the flesh of snakes and vipers.Exercise7. — Make twelve
sentences, each containing one Noun and one
Verb.Exercise 8. — Write, in columns,
the Nouns in the following sentences: — Africa,
gorilla, ostrich, monkey, whale, William, Garibaldi, harts, thirst, glow, wren, Tom, and, opposite them,
the Telling Words which tell something about them. 1. Africa
abounds in buffaloes. 2. The gorilla was shot by Mr. Du Chaillu. 3. The ostrich
can kick like a mule. 4. The monkey sleeps in a tree. 5. The whale spouts water.
6. William invaded England. 7. Garibaldi, the true and modest patriot, lives in
Caprera. 8. Harts swim very well. 9 The thirst for vengeance glared in his eyes.
10. The glow from the flames lighted up the hall. 11. The wren makes its nest of
moss and grass. 12. Tom frightened the fox.Exercise 9. — Write out, in separate columns, the
Nounsand Verbs in the following: —
1. The bear went across the field. 2. Go up the mountain. 2. There
are partridges and woodcocks in our field. 4. The dog saved many lives. 5. Robin
Hood was a robber. 6. The goats mounted the hill. 7. A storm arose in the
Atlantic. 8. Jack Horner sat in a corner. 9. The crew perished at sea 10. The
leopard jumped on the servant. 11. John wants to be a ploughboy. 12. The boy ran
to the village shop. 13. Chimney sweepers dance merrily on May-day.Exercise 10. — Write out, in
columns, the Noun-marking Words in the following sentences, and
place opposite them the Nouns they mark: — 1. Bold
Robin Hood was an archer good, as e’er drew bow in the merry green wood. 2. The
talkative parrot whistled a merry tune. 3. Bruin, the clumsy bear, went across
the fields, to seek the crafty fox. 4. There are no large birds of prey in Great
Britain, except eagles and hawks. 5. The poor children wandered up and down in
the dark wood. 6. A hungry wolf stood at the door of a house. 7. The angry nurse
threatened to put the crying child to bed. 8. A tremendous gale blew the stout
ship on shore. 9. The blind seal found its way to the cruel farmer’s door. 10.
The bubbling spring comes up beside the cottage window. 11. Margaret, the
milkman’s daughter, is a good and useful little girl. 12. The village children
played at the merry games of leap-frog, and ball, and puss in the comer. 13.
Little Two-shoes sat, like a busy little puss, in a corner, reading a
book.Exercise 11. — Add
Adjectives, or Noun-marking Words, to the
following Nouns :— Terrier, room, rat, prisoner, penny, paper, ink, child,
fire, spider, whale, elephant.Exercise 12. — What
Nouns would the following
Adjectivessuitably mark: — Long, round, flat, sweet, rough, gentle, cruel,deep, green, pretty,
kind, square.Exercise 13. — Make
twelve sentences, each containing a Noun, a Verb, and an Adjective, about
the following: — Waggon, cat, traveller, rabbit, brother, negro, swan,
field, child, fish, dog, duckling.Exercise 14. — Write out, in
separate columns, the Nouns, Verbs, and
Adjectives in the following; and arrange the
Adjectives opposite the Nouns they
mark, and the Verbs opposite the
Nouns they tell about: — 1.
Little puss sat in a dark corner. 2. Hark! how the strong winds blow. 3. The
strong horse fell on the slippery ice. 4. The angry nurse beat the squalling
child. 5. The golden eagle is a large bird. 6. The common seal has a beau- tiful
dark eye. 7. The gruff billy-goat went up the steep mountain. 8. The green
parrot talks cleverly. 9. I heard the dogs howl in the dark, wet night. 10. The
greedy wolf wanted to eat the poor child. 11. After mince-pies and plum pudding
come black draughts. 12. The poor boy went through the dark forest. 13. The
cruel farmer put out the seal’s eyes. 14. The speckled hen, black and white,
looked like a widow in half mourning.Exercise 15. — Add
Telling Words to the following Nouns: — Hawk, battle, horse, river, bird, cage, cuckoo, snow, tree, gardener,
owl, cook.Exercise 16. — Place suitable
Nouns before the following Telling Words:
— Run, creep, cut, see, jump, write, roll, flow, devour,
attach, shoot, grind.Exercise 17. — Select the
Nouns and Verbs from the following list,
and join them so as to make sense: — Fast, horse, weasel, croak, sit, boy, river, pick, tear, stand, maiden,
sow, rat, wide, rich, raven, think, run, hen, gnaw, bite,
overflow, tall, tailor, captain, wonderful, mind.Exercise 18. — Make twelve
sentences, each containing a Noun, an
Adjective, and a Verb.Exercise 19. — Write out, in
columns, the Verb-modifying Words in the following sentences,
and, opposite them, the Verbs they modify: — 1.
The man drove fast. 2. The hyena howled fiercely. 8. The train ran quickly down
the incline. 4. The clock soon stopped. 5. Meg Muggins quickly picked up her
basket. 6. Robinson kindly invited Friday to dinner. 7. The swan flew swiftly
over the lake. 8. The little boy skates well. 9. The miners shouted vehemently
to the man at the windlass. 10. The gorilla was mortally wounded. 11. The dog
shook the rat fiercely. 12. The lads behaved awkwardly at the party.Exercise 20. — Write out, in
columns, the Adjective-modifying Words in the following
sentences, and, opposite them, the Adjectives they modify: —
1. Poor Tom is very cold. 2. The ostrich is a remarkably swift
runner. 3. The Marquis of Westminster is extremely rich. 4. Too early rising is
not good for the health. 5. I am truly glad to see that yon are well. 6. This
cheese is quite green. 7. Dodd staid out a very long time skating, and his
mother became exceedingly uneasy about him. 8. Dan is a really clever fellow. 9.
The fox, soon weary with the run, was caught and despatched by the hounds. 10.
The ugly duckling was too young to understand the world. 11. My dog is rather
lame. 12. The rats thought the honey awfully nice.Exercise 21. — Write out, in
columns, the Adverb-modifying Words in the following sentences,
and, opposite them, the Ad- verbs they modify: —
1. Mr. Dobbs spoke very slowly. 2. Arthur did not like the sousing, and the
medicine still less. 3. John returned almost directly. 4. Deerfoot ran
exceedingly fast over the course. 5. They danced quite merrily through the room.
6. The time passed too quickly. 7. He visited the house rather often. 8. The
glow of the sun-set was seen no longer. 9. He is almost always ill. 10. They
ride extremely well. 11. We can jump much further than you. 12. The pony gallops
twice faster than the cob.Exercise 22. — Write out, in
columns, the Adverbs in the following sentences, and place
opposite them the Verbs, Ad- jectives, or
Adverbs which they modify: — 1. Fairy rings
are very beautiful. 2. The two ships' companies drifted away into the frozen
seas. 8. The aloe blooms only once every hundred years. 4. The Warrior sails
very fast. 5. Now, the south wind softly blows. 6. How many sticks will it take
to reach the moon? 7. One, if it be long enough. 8. Whalemen often see polar
bears daily, nay, sometimes hourly. 9. Sir William Armstrong says that his brass
guns will never wear out. 10. Are you quite well, John? 11. Jemmy Wright shaves
as well as any man in England — almost, not quite. 23. — Make twelve sentences,
each with a Noun, a Verb, and an
Adverb.Exercise 24. — Make twelve
sentences, each with a Noun,an Adjective, a
Verb, and an Adverb.Exercise 25. — Add suitable
Adverbs to the following Adjectives: —
Dark, tall, easy, clever, clear, hard, able, glad, wonderful, slow,
willing, long, steady.Exercise 26. — Put suitable
Adverbs to the following
Verbs:Jump, reach,
run, look, write,
walk, eat, play, hunt,
dance, see,sit.Exercise 27. — Write out, in
columns, the Adverbs in the following sentences, and, opposite
them, the Verbs, Adjectives,or Adverbs which
they modify: — 1. The sailor mounted instantly to see the light. 2.
The poor lion gradually declined, and soon died. 8. The steeple is scarcely
three hundred feet high. 4. It is very pleasant in the cool shade. 5. The
elephant can draw logs quite easily which twenty men could not move. 6. On the
mountain, the snow falls so thickly that one soon gets blinded. 7. Where did you
get that very beautiful ship? 8. The dikes, in Holland, have been almost all
carried away by the very high floods. 9. The ship was nearly ashore when the
sailor mounted the shrouds. 10. The boy cried out, "I am quite right, it is a
turkey's egg." 11. Said Bruin, slyly, "Help me at once to some of that honey,
and I will be your slave for ever." "Indeed,” said the fox,
sneeringly.Exercise 28. — Make twelve
sentences, containing the following Adverbs: —
Scarcely, lately, quickly, very, disgracefully, sadly, soon,
too,quite, nearly, seldom, clumsily.Exercise 29. — Write out, in
separate columns, the Adverbs which modify (1)
Verbs, those which modify (2) Adjectives,
and those which modify (3) Adverbs, in the following: —
1. The ship sailed very swiftly to the Polar Seas in quest of
whales. 2. Bruin, the clumsily shaped bear, sent for Reynard, the too cunning
fox, to come and hunt. 3. The sportsman leapt quickly from the tree, ran rapidly
across the valley, and soon gained the wood. 4. The surly lion scratched the
poor child very dreadfully with his paw. 5. Reynard the fox came trotting up,
with his tail still more draggled than before. 6. Three billy-goats again went
up the mountain, to make themselves fat. 7. A goat had a pretty kid, which she
loved too dearly. 8. A most tremendous gale blew the ship on shore. 9. The
bubbling spring still comes up beside the cottage window. 10. She walked too
quickly to the farm- house, and consequently caught cold. 11. James Watt made a
very great improvement upon the steam engine. 12. Griper, the blind man’s dog,
was very savage; he often attacked little children.Exercise 30. — Write out, in
separate columns, the Nouns, Adjectives,
Verbs, and Adverbs in following:—
1. Once on a time a beautiful seal lived in a
farmer's house in Ireland. 2. Away went Bruin the bear after the cunning fox. 3.
The parrot whistled shrilly, "I'm afloat, I'm afloat, and the rover is free." 4.
Merrily, merrily goes the bark, before the gale she bounds. 5. The children's
feet pattered slowly over the icy road. 6. Huge trees, of wonderful form, stand
far out in the deep water. 7. The real name of little Goody Two-shoes was
Margery Meanwell. 8. Far, far away, there is a fine country, full of rocky
mountains and crystal caves. 9. The crows thought it was a dangerous thing — a
very dangerous thing indeed. 10. There once lived in a farm yard, an old cock,
whose name was Crowell. 11. Farmer Meanwell had quite an extensive farm, and
good wheat fields, and immensely large flocks of sheep. 12. Poor Tommy, little
Margery's brother, had, indeed, two shoes, but Margery had but one.Exercise 31. — Make twelve
sentences, four with Adverbs modifying Verbs,
four with Adverbs modifying Adjectives, and
four with Adverbs modifying
Adverbs.Exercise 32. — Fill up the
spaces with Adverbs: — 1. They sailed to the Polar Seas.
2. The sailor went aloft to see the light. 3. The steeple is three
hundred feet high. 4. Two goats had fed together, in a meadow. 5. The
ships met again. 6. A goat had a pretty kid, which she loved . 7.
upon a time a s wallow flew down upon a sheep's back. 8. "Dear mother,"
said a little fish, "pray is that a fly?" 9. The bird was as
pretty as Poll, nay, prettier. 10. There was a boy who had a dog called
Griper. 11. The crows thought it a dangerous thing, a dangerous thing.
12. The children's feet pattered over the icy road.Exercise 33. — Select the
Noun-connecting Words from the following sentences: —
1. The woodman carried the axe on his shoulder. 2. Mrs. Styles
travelled with twelve trunks. 3. The poor woman in the cottage was dangerously
ill. 4. Robert leapt into the river. 5. The bell-man spread the news over the
town. 6. The man with the wooden leg is a sailor. 7. He is going to cut up his
leg into lucifer matches, and buy a cork one. 8. The tiger tears the deer with
its strong, sharp claws. 9. Silk is the web of a caterpillar. 10. Amsterdam
stands on wooden piles. 11. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! 12. I
saw Jones with his cousin.Exercise 34. — Connect the
following Nouns and Pronouns by suitable
Noun-connecting Words: — 1. The cook went the kitchen. 2. Three goats
climbed the mountain's side. 3. a barn he used to frolic, long
time ago. 4. A sportsman and his son were the country, shooting. 5. Lucy
burst a flood of tears. 6. The sportsman went me, to teach me to
shoot. 7. The poor creatures ran up us crying. 8. The lion-killer walked
me as far as the waterfall. 9. A man went, one day, the house of a
rich squire. 10. The servants all laughed him. 11. A swallow flew down
a sheep's back, to steal some wool. 12. The fisherman put the perch
his basket, and walked away. 13. "Somebody has been sitting my
chair," said the great bear.Exercise 35. — Write, in columns, the
Prepositions, with the Nouns and
Pronouns they connect, in Exercise 34.Exercise 36. — In the moonlight the sheperds,Soft-lulled by the rills,Lie wrapt in their blankets,Asleep on the hills. In the above sentence, the noun sheperds is connected
with moonlight by the preposition in, with
rills by the preposition by, with
blankets by in, and hills
by on. Thus: —
Show the
connection between the different Nouns in the same way, in the following
sentences: — 1. The steam-engine at the Mint is set a-going at nine
o'clock. 2. Some fishes travel by land from one place to another. 3. In a little
paddock some horses are playing at follow-my-leader. 4. Camels walk through the
heavy sands in the deserts of Arabia. 5. Night, with her cold fingers, sprinkles
moonbeams on the sea-waste. 6. A captain bold, of Halifax, who lived in country
quarters — (Is this a sentence, or complete statement?) 7. At Woolwich, the
several parts of a wheel are put together with one squeeze. 8. My coat is all in
tatters, and my hat — is at the hatter's. 9. The man with the cocked hat stood
on a tub, speaking to the noisy crowd. 10. In the reign of Henry II., from
Temple Bar to the village of Westminster was a country road. 11. The cart, with
the Red King's body in it, rattled through the New Forest. 12. The cock and the
hen came originally from the east. 19. The negroes in many parts of the island
of Jamaica are lazy.Exercise 37. — Make twelve sentences, each containing
one Preposition.Exercise38. — Arrange the Prepositions
in the following sentences in four columns — putting in the first column those
which join a Noun and a Noun, in the second
those which join a Noun and a Pronoun, in the
third those which join a Pronoun and a Noun,
and in the fourth those which join a Pronoun and a
Pronoun: — 1. He came to me. 2. The vessel
sailed to the polar seas. 3. Bruin the bear sent for me. 4. The sportsman leapt
from the tree, ran across the valley, and into the wood. 5. They ran up to us
all in tears. 6. It scratched the poor child with its paws. 7. Reynard the fox
trotted up to her, with his tail lifted on high. 8. Three billy-goats went up a
mountain's side. 9. I ran to him with my clothes all in tatters. 10. She walked
to the farm-house with her cloak over her arm. 11. The lion stalked towards him,
snarling fearfully. 12. The canary flew to the little girl, and began to eat out
of her hand.Exercise39. — Make twelve
sentences, each with a Pre- position connecting a
Noun and a Noun.Exercise40. — Make twelve sentences, each with a
Pre- position connecting a Noun and a
Pronoun.Exercise41. — Make twelve
sentences, each with a Pre- position connecting a
Pronoun and a Noun.Exercise42. — Make twelve sentences, each with a
Pre- position connecting a Pronoun and a
Pronoun.Exercise43. — Write out, in columns, the
Prepositions in the following, and place on each side of
them the words they connect: — 1. Wolves were on their track, and
almost dashed against the door of the carriage. 2. Robin Hood was born in the
reign of Henry II., at Locksley, in the county of Nottingham. 3. One morning,
away went Brain the bear across the fields, in quest of Reynard the fox. 4. Up
the airy mountain, down the rushy glen, we daren't go a hunting, for fear of
little men. 5. The sailors went trooping after each other in Indian file, with
heavy loads on their backs. 6. According to promise the man came in the evening.
7. There are several hares and pheasants in that coppice. 8. The captain, amidst
the hurry and confusion of the scene, preserved his calmness. 9. There are no
large birds of prey in this country except the eagle and a few kinds of birds of
the hawk tribe. 10. Far up the Great St. Bernard, one of those high mountains of
the Alps, stands a famous convent.EXERCISE 44. — Make sentences with the
following Pre- positions in them: —Of, with, in, on, at, about, under, over,
by, into, without, above.Exercise45. — Make sentences with the following
Pre- positions in them: — Across, against, along,
around, before, behind, down, except, upon, below, beneath,
besides.Exercise46. — Select Conjunctions from
the following: — 1. The stag is found in France, and so is the wolf
2. The snipe is a small bird, but flies quickly. 3. Notwithstanding the ice, the
whalers attacked and killed the seals. 4. Although the birds of Australia have
beautiful plumage, they have very dis- cordant voices. 5. Gentle earthquakes
often occur in England, but are oftener felt at Comrie, in Scotland. 6. The
failure of the wine crop is a disastrous event, for the farmers depend upon it
for a living. 7. When we see animals change their colours in the winter, we must
believe that the alteration is best for them. 8. Willows are weak, but they bind
other wood. 9. Although Columbus really discovered America, yet it was known to
the Northmen some hundreds of years before. 10. London to-day is taller by some
fifteen feet than the London of the Romans was.Exercise47. — Arrange, in
separate columns, the Preposi- tions and
Conjunctions in the following: — 1. In winter
the hare and the ptarmigan change the colour of their coats. 2. The Romans
possessed Britain for more than four hundred years, but they had to leave it at
last. 3. The mistletoe and holly now reign in every British house- hold, yet
very little is known about the rise of their sovereignty. 3. The sloth in Ceylon
moves slowly, and comes unawares upon a bird. 5. Elephants and seals are shot
for the sake of their ivory. 6. There are neither snakes nor vipers in Ireland,
for St. Patrick banished them all. 7. When the pools in Ceylon dry up, the chub
set out on their travels in search of water. 8. The arrow rebounded from the
boy's back as-if it had struck upon a rock. 9. Doctors themselves are not of
more importance than nurses are. 10. If the man who
turnips criesCry not when his father dies,'Tis a proof that he would ratherHave a turnip than his father. 11. There are more than 80,000
pipes of wine in the London docks. 12. Lime injures the coats of the stomach
when we drink the water that contains it.Exercise48. — Write out, in a
column, the Conjunctions in the following sentences: —
1. I will stay at home, if you go to fish. 2.
Cherry pie is very nice, and so is currant wine, but I must wear my plain brown
gown, and never go too fine. 3. The wolf met the bear, and mocked him, because
he always carried his head so low. 4. The wolf would have eaten the little girl
up, but there were some wood-cutters hard by, so he thought better of it, and
didn't. 5. Give me a cake and a pat of butter, for my granny is ill. 6. The wasp
hummed his thanks, as he hummed from flower to flower. 7. The fish will not be
caught, unless the nets are mended. 8. Tell the green hunts- man, if you meet
him on the way, there’s game in the wind. 9. Thus wandered these poor children,
till death did end their grief. 10. I will bring the man here, since you think
so. 11. Robin Hood, although he was a robber, never injured poor people or
women. 12. The parrot, Nina, could whistle "Hearts of oak" better than any
sailor on board could.Exercise49. — Make twelve sentences, each containing a
Conjunction.Exercise50. — Write out, in columns, the
Prepositions and Conjunctions in the
following: — 1. The seal delights to gambol in the water and is
fond of basking in the sun. 2. This world is large, but there are others which
are larger. 3. In Poland the wolves are not so big as they are in the South of
Russia. 4. Both mincepies and plum pudding are good at Christmas. 5. You could
see this little nut, Monkey, though your eyes were shut. 6. We should get no
tin, if the Cornishmen did not dig in their mines. 7. Tar at first is dark red,
but in a little time it becomes black. 8. The captain perished, but the sailors
of the Lap- wing were saved. 9. You yet may see the fawn at play, the hare upon
the green, but the sweet face of Lucy Grey will never more be seen.Exercise51. — Write out, in separate columns, the
Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs,
Adverbs, Prepositions, and
Conjunctions in the following: — A young seal
once lived in the house of a farmer on the west coast of Ireland. The creature
was mild and gentle, and the family loved it dearly. In summer its delight was
to bask in the sun; in winter, to be before the fire, or, if it was per- mitted,
to creep into a large oven in the kitchen. In spring a strange kind of disease
attacked the cattle, many of which died. An old woman told the farmer that his
cattle would never re- cover, unless he put out the seal's eyes and turned it
adrift. The silly fellow consented to the cruel act; they carried the poor
animal away and pitched it into the sea. On the eighth night after it had left, a tremendous gale arose in the Atlantic,
and, in the pauses of the storm, the family could at times hear a low wailing
noise at the door. Next morning they found the seal dead on the
threshold.Exercise52. — Make sentences with the following
Con- junctions in them: — Because, if, and, for,
therefore, wherefore, although, than, though, unless.Exercise53. — Arrange in
separate columns the Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions,
and Conjunctions in the following story: —An Arab
had lost his way in the desert. Two days had he wandered about without finding
anything to eat; and he was now in danger of perishing of hunger. Suddenly he
saw one of those pools of water at which travellers water their camels, and he
ran up to it as fast as his tired limbs could carry him. What was his delight to
see, lying upon the green bank of the pool, a leathern bag. He was sure that it
con- tained food. He took it up, while his heart beat faster and faster with
expectation. "Dates! I hope," he cried. "Nuts! I think!!" "Pearls! by the beard
of the Prophet!!!" and the poor Arab sank fainting upon the sand.Exercise54. — Select the Pronouns from
the following story: — A drop of rain, one solitary drop, fell from a cloud into
the sea, and was swallowed by the enormous waste of waters in the bosom of the
Atlantic. Lost in the depths of the ocean, the little drop said to itself, "Ah!
what a tiny thing am I in this great world of water!" It happened that just at
this moment an oyster opened its shelly mouth, and swallowed the water drop. It
lay a long time in its pearly home. By degrees it ripened into a beautiful
pearl. At length it was found by a diver. He was in ecstacies with its beauty,
and gave it to a lady who knew him. She had it set in a bracelet; it became her
magnificently; and she prized it above all her other jewels.Exercise55. — Make sentences with the following
Pro- nouns in them: —Thou, him, her, them, it, he,
she, me, we, us, thee, you, him, his, they, its.Exercise56. — Substitute Pronouns for
some of the Nouns in the following story: — A poor labourer who
grew turnips in the garden of the labourer, found among the turnips a
turnipFor this
word one must be used, which — though really a
numbering ad- jective — is used as a kind of
pronoun. of immense size. The labourer carried the turnip to the squire, who, as a reward for the
industry of the labourer, gave the labourer two pounds. A widow in the same
village, who was well-to-do in the world, but very greedy, heard of the affair,
and said to the widow that it would be no bad plan to offer the gentleman the
first of the widow’s sheep, for, said the widow, if the gentleman has given two
pounds for a turnip, the gentleman will surely give much more for a sheep. The
widow accordingly took the widow's sheep to the squire, and begged the gentleman
to accept the sheep. The squire immediately saw the widow's selfishness, and
refused to accept of the present. As the widow entreated the squire, the squire
answered that as the widow forced the squire to accent the widow's present, the
squire would give the widow something in return, which cost twice as much as the
value of the widow's sheep. So the squire presented the widow with the enormous
turnip.Exercise57. — Substitute Nouns for
Pronouns in the follow- ing fable: — A wolf, roving about
in search of food, passed by a door where a child was crying and its nurse
chiding it. As he stood listening, he heard her tell it to leave off crying or
she would throw it to him. So, thinking she would be as good as her word, he
hung about the house, in expectation of a capital supper. But as evening came
on, and it became quiet, he again heard her say that it was now good, and that
if he came for it they would beat him to death. He, hearing this, trotted home
as fast as he could.Exercise58. — Substitute the Nouns for
which Pronouns stand in the following story: — A sailor had a
parrot. To all the questions they asked it, it answered "There is no doubt about
it." The pronoun
it stands in this sentence for some such noun as
"the fact." One day he took
it to the market to sell it, and fixed the price at twenty pounds. A woman asked
the parrot if it was worth twenty pounds? It replied, "There is no doubt about
it." She, delighted with the bird, bought it, and carried it home. Some time
after she repented of her bargain, and said aloud to herself that she was a fool
for having thrown her money away! "There is no doubt about it," sang out the
bird.Exercise59. — Substitute Pronouns for
Nouns in the fol- lowing: — Long, long ago, a boy set out
to see the world. The boy wanted very much to see the world. So the boy left
home and walked on till the boy met a woman. The woman asked the boy where the boy was going. The boy answered that the
boy was going to see the world. The world is large, said the woman, but the
woman will go with the boy to see the world. Well, the woman and the boy set
out, and the woman and boy's way led through a dark forest. In the forest there
was a gloomy den where a cruel wolf lived. The wolf came rushing out when the
wolf heard the footsteps of the woman and boy, tore the woman and boy to pieces,
and the cubs of the wolf devoured the woman and boy. So the woman and boy did
not see the world after all.Exercise60. — Make the following sentences into a con-
tinuous story: — A bear was bred in the wilds of Siberia. The bear
thought the bear would like to see the world. So the bear travelled from forest
to forest, and from one country to another. One day the bear came by chance into
a farmer's yard. The bear saw a hen drinking by the side of a pool. At every sip
the hen turned up the head of the hen to the sky. The bear asked the hen the
reason. The hen told the bear that turning up the head to the sky was the way of
the hen for returning thanks to heaven. Here the bear burst into a fit of
laughter. The bear mocked the hen. At this the cock, with the cock's wonted
boldness, chided the bear thus: The cock thinks the bear a fool for laughing at
the hen. The hen shows the hen's piety in that way. The bear should not be rude
and mock the hen. The hen and the cock both request the bear to go away
quietly.Exercise61. — Parse the words in the following story,
according to the following model: —
Johna noun, because it is a name.wenta verb, because it is a telling word, and tells some- thing about
John.toa preposition, because it connects the nouns John
and town.thean adjective, because it is a marking word, and marks
town.oldan adjective, because it marks town.towna noun, because it is a name.anda conjunction, because it joins the sentences John
went and John bought.boughta verb, because it is a telling word, and tells some- thing about
John.twoan adjective, because it marks the noun
rabbits.rabbitsa noun, because it is a name.
A donkey, a dog, a cat, and a cock were once travelling together. When
it became dark, they saw a light in a cottage some
distance off. So they made their way up to it, looked throngh the window, and
saw several robbers sitting at table. Well, they laid a plan to secure all the
victuals to themselves. The donkey put his forefeet on the window sill, the dog
mounted on his back, on his shoulders sprang the cat, and the cock flew on the
cat's head. Then the ass brayed and the dog barked, the cat mewed and the cock
crowed "cock-a-doodle- doo." All this so frightened the robbers that they rushed
out of the house and ran off as hard as they could, leaving everything behind
them.Exercise62. — Make twelve sentences, each containing
the seven kinds of words.Exercise63. — Write out, in columns, the seven
different kinds of words in the following: — In the pleasant valley of Ashton
lived an old woman. She had a small, neat cottage, and not a weed was visible in
her garden. She depended for support chiefly on her garden — which contained
several strawberry-beds, and two small borders for flowers. The pinks and roses
she made nosegays of, and sold them at Bristol. She did not send her
strawberries to market, because many people came, in the summer-time, from
Bristol, and ate strawberries and cream in her little garden.Exercise64. — Make twelve sentences, each containing
the seven kinds of words.Exercise65. — State in which of the following sentences
the following words are Nouns, and in which they are
Adjec- tives: Round, level, good, black, white, green, living, fat:
— 1. The cheese is quite round. 2. The butcher sold me a
large round of beef. 3. The moor is one long, dreary level. 4. The ground we
play cricket on is not perfectly level. 5. Telford, the engineer, was a good and
clever man. 6. It is better to do good than to wish for good. 7. President
Lincoln has been much bothered about the blacks. 8. The black ox is not so large
as the white one. 9. The man turned up the whites of his eyes. 10. The country
is no longer green. 11. The boys play in the evening on the village-green. 12.
Tom Jones finds it hard to pick up a living. 13. A living dog is sometimes not
so good as a dead lion. 14. The sheep is very fat. 15. Fat is used to make
candles.Exercise66. — State in which of the following sentences
the following words are Nouns, and in which they are
Verbs: Round, command, cure, breakfast, hunt, fly, bite: —
1. We can round the lake in two hours. 2. Our Christmas- -time has been one
round of amusements and fun. 8. We command you to do
this. 4. The sailor refused to obey the cap- tain’s command. 5. His cure was
very slow and tedious. 6. The workmen must have breakfast before we breakfast.
7. The hunt was short and exciting. 8. We hunt every day in the season. 9. The
common fly can walk on the roof. 10. Birds fly more steadily than bats. 11. The
dog recovered of the bite. 12. Cats bite and scratch furiously, when
irritated.Exercise67. — State what the following words are in
each of the following sentences: Round, for, still, only, pay, race,
run, people, evil, desire, fancy: — 1. We will run
round the ring four times. 2. I gave him sixpence for the plant. 3. I won't go,
for I have been ordered to stay here. 4. Still waters run deep. 5. Johnnie is
still sickly and weak. 6. Jesus stilled the waves. 7. He was the only man in the
room. 8. The general has only two horses. 9. The captain offered to increase his
pay. 10. The race lasted two hours. 11. The horses raced over the moor. 12. The
native people of New Zealand are a long-headed race. 13. The Saxons have peopled
North America. 14. The evil is done. 15. The evil deed could not remain hid. 16.
I have a strong desire to go to Canada. 17. The officers desire their men to
march to London. 18. The dog had a great fancy for the horse. 19. I fancy you
will find him there.Exercise68. — State in which of
the following sentences the following words are Adverbs, and in
which they are Adjec- tives: Fast, quick, ill, well, little, only,
worse, deep,pretty: — 1. Deerfoot is a very fast
runner. 2. The locomotive can run faster than the race-horse. 3. Run quick! 4.
This is not a quick train. 5. The sailor was ill and in bed. 6. He has done the
work ill. 7. John writes well. 8. Mary was quite well. 9. I little expected to
see Smith there. 10. The horse carried the little boys safely. 11. He is an only
son. 12. He gave me only ten apples. 13. The patient is worse. 14. Bob Stores
rode worse than John Gilpin. 15. We must plough deep in the deep, stiff clay.
16. That is a very pretty horse. 17. It is pretty hard to climb that
hill.Exercise69.— Add Verbs to the
following Nouns and Pro- nouns: He, John, she, Mary,
ploughman, cat, grass, they, it, we, cow, book.Exercise70. — Add Nouns or
Pronouns to the following Verbs: Run, jump, walks,
eats, finds, see, hobble, fly, tell.Exercise71. — Add Nouns to the
following Adjectives: Green, round, square, long, lame, awkward,
beautiful, nice, sweet, old .Exercise72. — Work the following like Exercise36: — 1.
All the little birds had laid their heads under their wings, sleeping in feather
beds. 2. Mr. Smith talked on that subject with Mr. Robinson in the mail train,
on the way from Bristol. 3. The labourer fell with his load from the ladder,
through the scaffolding, into a deep pit. 4. That host with their banners at
sunset were seen. 5. The house he built is on a hill, near a wood, beside three
elm trees. 6. Punch stood, in a deep study, on the stage, with his staff in his
hand. 7. The swallows are in their nests with their young ones. 8. Walking up to
the house, he climbed on a tree, and looked through the window, but saw no one.
9. The knight, with his vizor up, in a chain suit of mail, and with his lance in
rest, rode into the lists.Exercise73. — Write out the
following sentences, and state when the words in italics are
Verbs, when Nouns, when Ad-
jectives, when Prepositions, and when
Conjunctions: — 1. We salt
fish with salt, and so make them salt. 2. Tom
can jump a long jump. 3. We took a long
walk. 4. The people rest on the day of
rest. 5. All the sailors of the Cygnet deserted,
save six. 6. God save the Queen! 7. The
master was unable to master his men. 8. He
works very hard at his work. 9. The
government will man the navy with great care; and every
man who enters will receive £6 bounty. 10. We had a long
run on the beach. 11. You run faster than
I. 12. What a dreadful bore Sir Peter Longjaw is! 13. The
speeches bore the audience extremely.Exercise74. — Make sentences in which the following
Adverbs will be added to Adjectives: Quite, very,
remarkably, ill, worse, more, extremely, awfully, too.Exercise75. — Make sentences in
which the following Adverbs will modify Verbs:
Remarkably, worse, abominably, entirely, fully, well, ill, virtuously,
mildly.Exercise76. — Make sentences in
which the following Adverbs will modify Adverbs: Too,
quite, still, very, almost, entirely, less, more.Exercise77. — State when the following words, — dear,
cheap, close, hard, high, late, long, load, pretty, right, short, enough, little
— are used as adjectives and when as
adverbs;and, when they are
adjectives, place opposite to them, in columns, the nouns
they mark, when adverbs, place opposite them the verbs or
adjectives or adverbs they modify: — 1. The merchant sells cloth at
a very dear rate. 2. I bought my cart very cheap. 3. Don't write so close! 4.
The room was ill ventilated and very close. 5. The ladies strove hard to
ascend the hill. 6. John is a hard taskmaster. 7.
It was blowing very hard that night. 8. His heart beat high to hear the news. 9
Tommie was standing on a very high wall. 10. They arrived too late even for the
late train. 11. Have you waited long? 12. The procession was a mile long. 13.
The boy speaks too loud. 14. We heard a loud noise from the hall. 15. That is a
pretty good book. 16. The boys read pretty well. 17. He dropped right on his
left hand. 18. The short man stopped short in the middle. 19. Mr. Smith knows
that well enough. 20. He did not give the horse corn enough. 21. Little did he
think he would ever see his little boy again.Exercise78. — Make twelve sentences, each with a
Pre- position connecting a Noun and a
Noun.Exercise79. — Make twelve Sentences, each with a
Preposi- tion connecting a Noun and a
Pronoun.Exercise80. — Insert fitting
Prepositions in the blank spaces: — 1. This is the return
he made me my attention his business his severe illness. 2.
I spent six months this house my uncle. 3. The river flows
high banks covered flowers. 4. They fell the river the
deepest part. 5. It happened the ball, just as I was leaving the room
Henry. 6. I met him the room the dining-hall. 7. The town
stands the banks the river Thames. 8. I gave the book the
servant all-work. 9. The roof the house is decayed some
places.Exercise81.— Make twelve sentences, each with a
Pre- position connecting a Pronoun and a
Noun.Exercise82.— Make twelve sentences, each with a
Pre- position connecting a Pronoun and a
Pronoun.Exercise 83. — In the following sentences, the
Conjunctions stand between Verbs expressed
and Verbs understood. Write the Conjunctions
and the Verbs they connect in columns:— 1. He danced, but not
I. 2. They write better than we. 3. Jones rode all the way, and Smith also. 4.
He thinks more about himself than about his wife. 5. The ladies
left, and then the gentlemen. 6. No one grumbled but John. 7. I warned him,
though too late. 8. He worked hard, though so young. 9. He is old and therefore
feeble.Exercise 84. — Make twelve sentences, each with a
Con- junction connecting a Verb expressed
and a Verb understood.Exercise 85. — In the following sentences, the
Conjunctions stand between a Verb
understood and a Verb expressed. Write the
Conjunctions and the Verbs they connect in
columns: — 1. The smith and the carpenter worked in this shop. 2. Though very
sick, he wrote till he could no longer hold the pen. 3. Though lame, he managed
to walk very fast. 4. If dry, the hay will be all the better. 5. The captain and
lieutenant remained on the ground. 6. Though rich, for our sakes he became poor.
7. If mounted, I shall be the better pleased to meet him.Exercise 86. — Write the Plurals of:
Book, stick, cow, horse, boy, bottle, field, tree,
hound, weight, thing, jug.Exercise 87. — Write the
Plurals of: Box, church, switch, fox, ash, potato,
ass, brush, witch, leech, hero, tax.Exercise 88. — Write the Plurals of:
Lady, folly, toy, duty, day, glory, delay, valley,
chimney, baby, ruby, fancy.Exercise 89. — Write the Plurals of:
Calf, knife, wife, leaf, thief, dwarf, grief, sheaf, loaf, chief,
shelf, wolf.Exercise 90. — Write the Plurals
of: Man, woman, goose, tooth, foot, mouse, sheep, deer,
salmon, brace, score, fish, cannon.Exercise91. — Write the
Plurals of: Navy, king, army,
calf, man-trap, chair, moss, buffalo, sheaf, wish, chimney, body,
monarch, play, ox, father-in-law, court-martial.
Exercise 92. — Write the Plurals
of: Pond, penny, mouse, muff, brother, hoof, orange, city, journey,
deer, scholar, child.Exercise93. — Write out the words John,
Edward, Robert, Frank, and James, in the following
sentences, in separate columns, as they belong to either of the five cases: — 1.
John, come here. 2. I gave Frank a top. 3. Edward's cloak is lost. 4. Robert
struck John. 5. How do you do, Tom? 6.I will
go with you, Frank, to the fair. 7. The baker handed Robert a bun. 8. Edward
kicked James for drinking the cream. 9. The coachman brought Frank's brother
John home. 10. James felt the ant creeping up his leg. 11. John's father made
Frank a beautiful boat. 12. Robert, get Edward a few cherries. 13. John, the
gamekeeper, sent Charles a brace of pheasants. 14. Robert hopes, John, that you
will fetch Edward the stick with which you beat James's brother Frank last
night. 15. Pluck Harry some cherries.Exercise94. — Make twelve sentences, with four
Nouns in the Nominative case, four in the
Possessive, and four in the
Dative.Exercise95. — Make twelve sentences, with six
Nouns in the Objective, and six in the
Vocative.Exercise 96. — Place the
Nouns in the following sentences in five different columns,
for the Nominative, Possessive, Dative, Vocative, and
Objective cases: — 1. I gave him the book. 2. The
reading-room contains numerous maps. 3. General Baynes offered Colonel Bunch a
thousand pounds. 4. Guard, please unlock this carriage. 5. I want six buns, four
oranges, and two apples. 6. They went to Swan and Edgar's (What noun does the
word Edgar's possess?). 7. Have you seen the servant anywhere?
8. The soldier's child is dead. 9. The king granted the duke a hundred acres of
land. 10. They roasted chestnuts all the winter evening.Exercise97. — Make twelve sentences, with four
Nomina- tive cases, four Possessive, and
four Dative.Exercise98. — Make fifteen sentences, with three
Nomi- native, three Possessive, three
Dative, three Objective, and three
Vocative cases.Exercise99. — Work this Exerciselike Exercise96: — 1.
The squire gave every farmer a turkey for his Christinas dinner. 2. Robinson
Crusoe found a foot-print on the shore. 3. Tommie, come and help me to carry
this log. 4. The black- smith struck the carpenter with his hammer. 5. The man's
patience was quite worn out. 6. I fetched him the kite from the garret where it
was lying. 7. My uncle brought cousin Charles a brass spinning-top from London.
8. No eye has seen such sights. 9. Farewell, dear old cottage!
10. The robin red-breast covered the children with leaves.Exercise100. — Make fifteen sentences, with three
Nouns in the Nominative, three in the
Dative, three in the Objective, three in
the Vocative, and three in the Possessive
case.Exercise101. — State the different cases in which the
nouns John and gardener are in the
following sentences: — 1. John gave me a nosegay. 2. Gardener, come and help me
to dig up this root. 3. John's hat is missing. 4. The puppy bit the gardener
severely. 5. He gave John a knife. 6. The smith made the gardener a new spade.
7. The coachman struck John with his whip. 8. I bought John a new hat. 9. The
gardener's wife is sick. 10. John, go and bring me some water. 11. The gardener
wants a new set of tools. 12. We gave John twenty new marbles.Exercise102. — Write eighteen sentences, three with a
Noun in the Nominative, three with a
Noun in the Possessive.three with a
Noun in the Dative or
Given-to case, three with a Noun in the Dative or Done-for
Case, three with a Noun in the
Objective, and three with a Noun in the
Vocative case.Exercise103. — Write down, in five columns, the
different cases in which Nouns are in the following sentences:
— 1. The duke led the army in person. 2. The king's son succeeded him. 3.
Richard pacified the rioters. 4. Ran as hard as you can, Tom! 5. The merchant
made the king a good offer. 6. My uncle bought Tom a Christmas-tree. 7. Henry's
father is now quite well. 8. The news hastened his death. 9. I shall not tell
you, John.Exercise104. — Write ten sentences, two with a
Noun in the Nominative, two with a
Noun in the Possessive, two with a
Noun in the Dative, two with a
Noun in the Objective, and two with a
Noun in the Vocative.Exercise105. — Write the
Possessive of: Boy, men, boys, man, women, cat,
cousin, fathers, unde, hen, brother, sister, brethren, child, mother,
children, mothers, aunts, cousins.Exercise106. — Place, in three
columns, those Possessives in the following, which are formed
(i.) by an ' and s for the singular, (ii.) by an ', and (iii.)
by an ' and s, for the plural: Horses', horse's,
friends', women's, mothers', priests',
friend's, Henry's, kings', king's, brethren's,
men's, man's, children's, unde's,
uncles'.Exercise107. — Place, in separate columns, the
following Nouns, according to their gender: Cousin,
horse, queen, parent, shilling, mare, uncle, bird, cow, boy, book, army,
town, woman, person, grocer, shoemaker, miller,
spinner, impostor.Exercise108. — Write a list of
twelve Nouns, three Mascu- line, three
Feminine, three Neuter, and three
Common.Exercise109. — Give the Feminine of:
Boy, gentleman, giant, hunter, heir, he-bear, peacock, emperor,
uncle, brother, mayor, peer.Exercise110. — Place, in separate columns, the
following Pronouns, as they are singular or plural: We,
you, thou, they, it, us, them, their, thee, him, her, thine, its.
Exercise 111— Write out the Possessive
Singular and Plural of: Boy, ox, man,
cousin, loaf, goose, tongs, echo, bottle,
tooth, mouse, bride, lady, John, horse,
Robert, Catherine, eagle, glass, Frank, Maria.
Exercise 112 — Arrange the
following in columns, as they happen to be Masculine or Feminine, Neuter
or Common Nouns: Bird, ant, countess, neighbour, peasant,
child, cousin, infant, servant, liar,
drunkard, darling, monk, singer, nun, mare, gander,
lady, calf, sheep, sow, duck.Exercise 113. — Place, in five separate columns, the
follow- ing Pronouns, as they belong to each of the five cases: We,
mine, us, me, you, them, it, they, his, her, yours, my, our, thee, him, its,
theirs, ours, she, thou, your, their.Exercise 114. — Give the Feminine of
the following twelve Names: Uncle, lion, tutor, sir, peer, master, lord,
duke, ram, giant, colt, father, hero.Exercise 115. — Give the Masculine of
the following twelve Names: Prophetess, tigress, bride, lass, doe,
goose, hind, spawner, roe, belle, girl, queen.Exercise 116. — Make fifteen sentences, three with
you in the Nominative, three with
you in the Possessive, three with
you in the Dative, three with
you in the Objective, and three with
you in the Vocative case.Exercise 117. — In what cases
are he and you, in the following sentences: —
1. His father has sailed to the polar seas. 2. You are quite wrong. 3. Come up
here, you fellows! 4. I offered him a shilling for the boat. 5. He has quite
forgotten the circumstance. 6. The gardener struck him with a spade. 7. His
cousins played him a trick. 8. They promised you the book. 9. We did him an
injustice. 10. I saw you in the garden.Exercise 118.—State the
Genders of the Conjunctive Pro- nouns in
the following sentences: — 1. Tom Jones, who drives the cart,
Is dead. 2. Sally, who lives in our alley, is not well. 3. The dog that barked
so loud, was shot. 4. The boys, who were skating, fell in. 5. I will shoot the
first person who attempts to leave the ship. 6. The people who were with him now
deserted their leader. 7. He recited to me the very words that were said. 8. The
boys, whose fathers were present, were glad to see them again. 9. They killed
the kittens which you saw.Exercise 119. — Compare the following
Adjectives: White, round, green, brown, black,
tall,It is not good taste to say tallish
or shortish; it is considered better to use the other form of the
Sub-positive, and to say, rather tall, rather short. The same is the
case with the other words marked so *.short,* steep,* busy,*
high,* great,* smooth.*Exercise 120. — Compare: Splendid, pleasant,
magnificent, interesting, welcome, accomplished, foolish, excellent.Exercise 121.— Select the Adjectives
in the ComparativeDegree in the following sentences, and place on each side of
them the two names that have been compared: — 1. John is taller than Tom. 2. I
don't think we have ever seen a finer building than this church. 3. The hippopo-
tamus is a fatter animal than the elephant. 4. A bloodier battle never was
fought. 5. His temper is pleasanter than Tom's. 6. Ben Nevis is higher than
Snowdon. 7. One good book is better than many bad books. 8. Mr. Hunt is a more
skilful artist than your friend. 9. The wind was higher yesterday than to-day.
(Is it the names yesterday and to-day that are
here compared, or two winds?)Exercise 122. — State when the words in the
Comparative Degree, in the following sentences, are
Adverbs and when Adjectives: —
1. I like Tom better than his brother. 2. This flour is better than
that. 3. A more beautiful building has seldom been erected. 4. The wind blew
harder as night came on. 5. I dislike the place more and more. 6. There were
more people in the inn than you saw. 7. He writes worse than ever. 8. This
drawing is worse than your last. 9. The invalid is much better to-day. 10. He
reads better than he did last half.Exercise 123. — Write the
possessive singular and possessive plural
of the following Nouns; Man, horse, sheep, goat,
glutton, sloth, child, woman, peasant, baby, wolf, lady, dog,
monarch.Exercise 124. — Write out the
following Nouns, in four columns, — one for the
masculine gender, one for the feminine,
one for the neuter, and one for either gender:
Book, cow, eagle, cousin, shop, man, baron, patron, ink,
brother, baroness, lady, lion, apple, toy, friend,
neighbour, lad, street, widow.Exercise 125. — Write out six
Nouns in the masculine gender; six in the
feminine; six that are neuter; and six
that are common.Exercise 126. — Write the
feminine of the following: Shep- herd, hero,
father, goat, actor, emperor, brother, gentleman,
lion, author, landgrave, tiger, earl, uncle, monk, he-ass,
prophet, king, son, he-bear.Exercise 127.—State the
gender of the following: Duchess, nun, niece,
bride, child, friend, princess, agent,
sultana, giantess, duke, emperor, table, chair, daughter, aunt,
hind.Exercise 128. — Write out all the
Pronouns, in their singu- lar and
plural forms.Exercise 129. — Select all the
Pronouns in the possessive case from the
following: — 1. My box is quite as good as yours. 2. Our horse is
in the stable. 3. Her hat is on the table. 4. This stick is not his. 5. I lived
six months in their house. 6. Your plough is old and broken. 7. That book is not
theirs, but ours. 8. My cottage stands near a brook. 9. His foot is rather
short.Exercise 130. — Write the Pronouns in
the following sen- tences, in different columns, according as they are in the
Dative or Objective case: — 1. Tom made me
a little cart. 2. His uncle promised him a gold watch. 3. The blacksmith struck
him on the head. 4. The cobbler told us a long story. 5. The boys love him much.
6. Her aunt showed her the workbox. 7. The fire caught her. 8. I gave them
half-a-crown. 9. Send us the boots as soon as possible. 10. Our uncle will bring
you a new set of books. 11. Mr. Scott Russell built him a yacht. 12. Lend us the
bats and wickets. 13. Our friend saw them in the field. 14. They dragged him
along. 15. The carpenter mended it very well. 16. We saw you first. 17. The
joiner made us a new chair. 18. The blow injured them very much.Exercise 131. — State whether
the Pronouns in the following sentences are in the
Nominative, or Vocative, or
Objective cases: 1. They saw that the ship was sailing. 2.
You villains! what do you mean? 3. I shall never forget the horrors of that
night. 4. As we gazed where our ship had been, a blank was before us. 5. Go to
the ant, thou sluggard! 6. They hoisted us on board. 7. Andrew, what say you to
this? 8. We must not lose courage, but put our trust in Providence. 9. You
overlooked them.Exercise 132. — Select all the
Conjunctive or Relative Pro- nouns from
the following sentences: — 1. You, who saw them, can tell. 2. I am sure that you
are wrong. 3. I see the golden helmet, that shines far off like flame. 4. And
many more, whose names on earth are dark. (Is this a complete statement?) 5.
There is a reaper, whose name is Death. (Is this a complete statement?) 6. The
man whom yon saw in the field has just come into the house. 7. A strong breeze
sprang up, which sent her at the rate of seven knots an hour. (To what does the
word which in this sentence relate?) 8. In that case, we shall
stop here; that will be better than running the risk that we ran before. (Which
of the three thats in this sentence is a Relative
Pronoun?) 9. The glittering summits of the iceberg were seen to
bear forward, and, with a crash which could be heard by us at so great a
distance, to fall prostrate in the water.Exercise 133. — Work the
following like Exercise 131: — I. He is in town. 2. I saw him. 3. His aunt gave
him three shillings. 4. O Thou who dwellest in heaven! hear and aid me. 5. His
horse shied, and threw him heavily on his head. 6 Our house is smaller than
yours. 7. The directors have offered us the loan of their new hall. 8. We are
not so stupid as you would have us appear. 9. Nothing could have given them
greater pleasure.Exercise 184. — Draw out a tabular form of the
Pronouns according to the following model: —
Nom.Poss.Dat.Obj.Voc.IMy or ThineMeMe(Wanting)ThouThy or ThineTheeTheeThou
Exercise 135. — Make three sentences containing the
pro- noun who, three with the word that, three
with the word which, three with whose, and
three with whom.Exercise 136. — State, in
columns, in which degree the following Adjectives are: Afore,
less, best, most, excellent, wider, prettier, ill, most, more,
elegant, jolliest, thicker,
widest.Exercise 137. — State to what the word
who relates in the following sentences: — 1. The landlord,
who had just killed the pig, locked the door. 2. The thief, who was covered with
blood, was horribly frightened. 3. I saw the poor boy who was singing yesterday.
4. All the men, who knew this very well, came flocking about him. 5. Once on a
time there was a woman who went out to hire a herdsman. 6. An old man in Germany
had seven sons, who were each three feet and a half high. 7. Little Thumbikin,
who was drowned in a pot of melted butter, was very tiny. 8. A little further
on, I saw a man in a boat, who was catching eels in an odd way. 9. I am the man
who is lord over this island.Exercise 138. — Compare, that is, write out upon the
four steps, Sub-PositiveIn all these
cases, the form "rather rich," "rather large," must be used for the
Sub-positive., Positive, Comparative, and
Superlative, the following
Adjectives: Rich, large, little, good, bad, near,
gay, high, strong, sharp, ripe, late, old, far, noble, swift, brave.
Exercise 139. — Tell the degrees of comparison of the
following Adjectives: Blackish, darkest, neater,
pretty, prettiest, whitish, larger, best, clearest,
fresh, broadest, flatterer, most transparent,
weaker, elder, older, sunny, noisiest, more infirm, braver, more wonderful, healthier, yellowish, most
beautiful, better, longest, most disobedient.Exercise 140.— Compare, that is, write out upon the
four steps the following Adjectives: Hard, dear,
imprudent, quick, strong, mountainous, fat, delicate,
sweet, wretched, rigorous, rich, happy, clever,
painful, monstrous, tempestuous, high,
low.Exercise 141. — Join the present and past tenses of
think, make, know, do, have, and blow, to I, thou,
he, she, it, we, you, and they.Exercise 142. — Write out every word in the following
sentences in this way:
HeHe pronoun, nominative or named case, singular number, masculine
gender. This word is in the named case, because it
is named for the purpose of saying jumps about
it.jumpsverb or telling word, asserted of the pronoun he,
— and therefore having the form for the third person and
singular number, — present time.
1. He jumps. 2. They sing. 3. She wrote. 4. We knew. 5. You thought. 6.
I do.Exercise 143. — To what Pronouns can
the following Verbs be joined: Are, knew, runs, did,
dost, walk, walks, walked, is, am, were, was.
Exercise 144. — Write out the Verb Be
as given in the grammar.Exercise 145. — Write about the parts of the
Verb Be, in the following sentences, in this way: —
Beingadjectival form of verb be, marking the noun John
(in Sentence 6) and in the present time.Areverb, asserted of the pronoun we (in Sentence 1),
and, therefore, in the first person, and plural number.
Are 1. We are. 2. He is. 3. He was. 4. Be quiet! 5. You were. 6. Being
ill, John could not see me. 7. Thou art. 8. I am. 9. Being so big, Charles could
not come in at the door.Exercise 146. — Write out the Verbs jump
and think, like the Verb Be in your grammar.
Exercise 147. — State in what Tense
the Verbs in the following sentences are: — 1. He had no
thought of how strong a wind blew outside the bar. 2. We saw Tom in town. 3.
They were not aware of the fact. 4. The cook makes very good mince pies,
5. He thinks they like plum-pudding. 6. The ladies
have three boxes, four portmanteaus, eight band-boxes, two bird- cages, and a
small hamper. 7. That is all. 8. I wish I were two miles hence. 9. Captain
Wilkes knew very little about international law, though he had on board a great
many law books.Exercise 148. — State in what Mood the
Verbs are in Exercise
147.Exercise 149. — Write out all the parts of the
Verb Be that are singular, all that are
plural; all that are of the first person
and all that are of the second person; and all that are the
same in form, with the Pronouns they may go with.Exercise 150. — Turn all the Past
Tenses in Exercise 147 into Present Tenses; and
all the Present Tenses.Exercise 151. — State when the parts of the
Verb Be, in the following sentences, are in the
Conjunctive form: — 1. I would run down, if he were nearer,
and visit him. 2. I won’t go, unless you be there. 3. I will see him, though he
be a swindler. 4. I do not think you could do it, if you were ever so tall. 5.
We shall not find him at the station, unless we be in time. 6. We shall
certainly bring the eatables, if we be there at all.Exercise 152. — State what
Conjunctions join the pairs of sentences in each of the
above examples.Exercise 153. — Parse the Pronouns,
Conjunctions, and parts of the Verb
Be in the first three examples in Exercise 151, according to the
following pattern :—
Ipronoun of the first person, singular number, in the named or
nominative case.himpronoun of the third person, singular number, in the
done-to or objective case.ifconjunction or sentence-connecting word, connecting the sentence
"I would visit him," with the sentence "he were nearer."werethird person, singular number, past tense, conjunctive form of the
verb be — of the same person and number as the
word he.
Exercise 154. — Parse the last three sentences in
Exercise 151, according to the above model.Exercise 155. — Make six pairs of sentences, joined by
the Conjunctions though,
unless, and if.Exercise 156. — Compare the Adverbs: Fast,
gaily, quick, soon, sulkily, angrily, often, seldom,
splendidly.Exercise 157. — Compare the following Adverbs, when
they can be compared: Ill, clumsily, gaily, cheap, once, sometimes,
ably, eloquently, fast, dear, likely, here, hence, why, perhaps, lately,
stupidly, warmly.Exercise 158. — Make sentences, each containing one of
the Adverbs in Exercise 156.Exercise 159. — Make sentences, each containing one of
the Adverbs in the first half of Exercise 157.Exercise 160. — Make sentences,
each containing one of the Adverbs in the last half of Exercise 157.Exercise 161. — Make sentences,
each containing one of the Adverbs in Exercise 156, but in the
Comparative Degree.Exercise 162. — Make sentences, each containing one of
the Adverbs in Exercise 156, but in the Superlative
Degree.A. Ireland and Co., Printers, Pall Mall Court, Market Street,
Manchester.